Stargazing
by lahmrh
Summary: K/S established. Back on Earth after the second five year mission, Spock surprises Kirk with a picnic under the stars.


**Stargazing**

Kirk wouldn't have taken the position at the Academy if he didn't think it was something he'd be comfortable with, but even he's a little surprised how easily he's settled into it over the past few months. He still remembers the last time he was grounded, how utterly miserable he was, how he longed with every fibre of his being to be back out exploring the stars. He still feels that pull now – he assumes he always will – but it's much less intense, less painful. He knows that part of that is because of Spock.

The thought brings a smile to his face as he makes his way down the hall to their apartment. Their relationship, always strong, seems to have deepened even further in the months that they've been back on Earth, now that they're not under the pressure of keeping everything totally professional. Now that they're no longer captain and first officer they can act just like any other couple – taking Spock's Vulcan sensibilities into account, of course.

_And no inconvenient red alerts_, Kirk thinks with amusement as he presses his palm to the hand-print scanner and unlocks the door.

"Spock?" he calls, stepping inside and letting the door slide closed behind him. "I'm home." It's already past 1830, thanks to a late meeting, so he isn't surprised to see Spock appear from the kitchen at his call.

"Jim," he says, eyes warm. "I have a surprise for you."

The bond hums with affection, and Kirk grins as he steps forward and slips his arms round Spock's waist. "Oh? Do tell?"

Spock's gaze flicks upwards briefly. "It is on the roof."

Kirk tilts his head, intrigued in spite of himself. "All right," he says. "Just let me change out of my uniform and we can go."

He changes quickly, swapping his uniform for pants and a sweater, and emerges from the bedroom a few minutes later to find Spock waiting at the door. He's dressed in a thick woollen coat, clearly ready to go, and Kirk quickly pulls on his own jacket before following Spock out of the apartment and locking the door behind them.

The journey to the roof takes only a few moments, and before Kirk knows it they are stepping out into the open air. Not many people come up to the roof, so they should have the place to themselves. He reaches out automatically to turn on the lights, but Spock stops him by taking his hand.

"No," he says. "Leave them off."

Puzzled, but willing to play along, Kirk leaves the lights and lets Spock lead him across the darkened roof. As they round the corner, he gets his first glimpse of Spock's surprise, and his breath catches in his throat.

Set out on the ground is a blue and white blanket with a lamp at each corner and a picnic basket sitting in the centre.

"A picnic," he says, then glances up as the implications hit him. "A picnic under the stars." He turns to look at Spock, who is hovering uncertainly.

"You are pleased?" Spock asks.

Kirk steps forward and wraps his arms around him. "Of course," he says. "It's a wonderful idea." He kisses Spock gently, then pulls back. "What made you think of it?"

Spock flushes. "I took the idea from a book I was reading," he admits quietly. "But it seemed appropriate, given that you have mentioned on several occasions how much you enjoyed stargazing when you were young."

Kirk smiles. "I did, and it's perfect. Thank you." He takes Spock's hands in his and squeezes them, before tugging him over to the blanket.

"What did you bring us?" he asks, as he sits down. "I feel like I could eat a horse."

Spock sits down opposite, eyebrow raised. "I'm afraid horse is not one of the options," he says with mock-seriousness, before opening the basket. "I have brought bread, cheese, pasta, salad..." As he speaks, he begins to pull things out and set them on the blanket. "And wine." He hands Kirk a bottle of wine, then goes back into the basket and produces two glasses to accompany it.

"Sounds great," Kirk says. They don't often have wine; apparently Spock intends this night to be special. He opens the bottle and begins to carefully fill the glasses Spock is holding.

Despite the fact that they're having a picnic in their winter coats, in many ways it's just like any other meal they've had together. The food is wonderful, and as they eat they discuss various issues; Kirk's meeting, Spock's experiments, their respective teaching classes, and any news of their friends and families.

When they have both finished, Spock packs the remaining food away, along with their plates and cutlery. Then he reaches into the other end of the basket and carefully pulls out a small covered dish. "As it happens, I have another surprise for you," he tells Kirk, placing the dish on the blanket between them.

Kirk watches as he uncovers the dish to reveal a large slice of chocolate cake. It's dark and moist, with chocolate frosting, and Kirk's mouth begins to water just looking at it. But he bites his lip as he remembers the effort it's taken to fasten his pants recently. "I'm supposed to be on a diet," he reminds Spock. "Now that I'm not getting as much exercise as I used to." He doesn't bother to mention how much of that exercise was him running for his life on various hostile planets. Not exactly doctor recommended, but it certainly kept the weight off.

"Your weight is still well within normal parameters," Spock replies. "And _I_ certainly have no complaints." The desire flowing across the bond as his gaze travels slowly down Kirk's body adds strength to his words, and Kirk smiles.

"Enabler," he says fondly, and shakes his head. "All right, I suppose one piece of cake won't hurt." Eagerly he picks up a fork and digs in. As he suspected, the cake is excellent.

"This is great," he says, between mouthfuls. "You should try some."

Spock, who does not seem at all regretful of his attempts to ruin Kirk's diet, looks mildly confused. "It is filled with sugar," he protests. "Besides, it is a gift for you."

"Yes, and I want to share it with you," Kirk replies.

Spock hesitates, looking from him to the cake and back, and Kirk can see him weakening. "Just a few bites," he coaxes. "It shouldn't do more than make you tipsy." He nods at the bottle standing by the picnic basket. "I've been drinking wine; we'll be even."

Feeling mischievous, he runs a finger across the frosting and then carefully sucks it clean, watching with satisfaction as Spock's eyes follow the action. "Very well," Spock agrees. "I will share it with you."

"Excellent," Kirk says. He breaks off a small piece of cake with his fingers and holds it up to Spock's lips. "Open up."

Spock raises an eyebrow, but obediently opens his mouth and allows Kirk to feed him the offered bite. The barely-concealed pleasure in his eyes when he gets his first taste of chocolate cake is almost a gift in itself, and makes Kirk feel warm all over.

"Good?" he asks, and Spock can only nod.

Kirk decides to forgo the fork after that, and so doesn't know whether to blame the sugar or the constant licking of fingers when Spock decides to follow the last bite of cake by pressing him down to the blanket and attempting to kiss him breathless.

When Spock moves down and begins to suck gently at the place where his neck meets his shoulder, he decides he doesn't care. He slides his hands down Spock's arms, then up to undo the buttons on Spock's coat, wanting to get closer, to touch.

Spock must have the same reaction, as he pulls back enough to remove first Kirk's coat, then his own. Once both coats are off, Kirk wastes no time in sliding his hands under Spock's waistband, expertly finding and caressing the sensitive hollows beneath.

Spock gasps at the touch and begins to thrust against him. They rock together, too full of need to waste time with further undressing. Spock is slightly uncoordinated, likely from the sugar, but he makes up for it with enthusiasm, hands roaming over Kirk's body as if he's trying to map it out by touch alone. "We're going to have a bit of a mess if we carry on like this," Kirk murmurs into a pointed ear, but makes no effort to stop him.

Spock mumbles an agreement and pulls back just far enough to unfasten Kirk's pants, then his own. Kirk takes the opportunity to roll them onto their sides, then slides his hand down in between their bodies to join Spock's. It only takes a few strokes before Spock gasps and stiffens in release, and the feedback from the bond is enough to send Kirk over the edge himself.

For a long moment they just lie there, panting, then reluctantly set about cleaning themselves up.

By the time they've got themselves presentable and put their coats back on, it's starting to get cold, and the stars are shining brightly overhead. Spock turns off the lamps while Kirk rearranges the blanket until he can sit with his back to the wall. When he is finished, he pulls Spock down to sit with his back to his chest, then takes the rest of the blanket and pulls it over them. "Don't want you to get cold," he says, wrapping his arms around Spock and pulling him closer.

"I am not cold," Spock protests.

Kirk presses his lips to the closest ear. "Just humour me," he murmurs, before turning his attention to the sky.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" he asks, after a few minutes of silent contemplation. He rests his head on Spock's shoulder and adds, "I'll have to take you back to Riverside sometime – on clear nights you can see the entire Milky Way."

"I would like that," Spock replies.

Kirk smiles and presses a kiss to Spock's cheek before his attention is caught by a sudden streak of white across the sky. "Hey, look," he says, pointing upwards. "A shooting star." He squeezes Spock gently. "You know the superstitions about those, right?"

"Indeed," Spock says. "When I was a child, my mother told me that humans referred to meteors as shooting stars, apparently due to their similar appearance. She told me that if I wished very hard when I saw one, there was a chance it would come true."

"Did you ever try it?" Kirk asks, amused at the thought of a young Spock trying to get his mind around something so utterly illogical.

To his surprise, Spock nods. "Once. When I was very young." He twists to look at Kirk, eyes warm and bright. "I had to wait many years, but it did come true."

Kirk feels a smile spread across his face as he looks at his bondmate. "I love you too," he says.

Spock returns the smile with a tiny one of his own, then settles back against Kirk's chest. He's silent for a long moment before asking abruptly, "Do you miss it?"

His gaze doesn't leave the stars, and it isn't difficult for Kirk to guess what he's referring to. "Sometimes," he admits. "But Earth has advantages too." His hand finds Spock's and laces their fingers together tightly. "As long as we're together."


End file.
